Mobile communication techniques to facilitate commercial transactions

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method, implemented on an electronic communication network including a mobile telecommunications device, for providing financial incentives by associating the mobile telecommunications device with an incentive account; and messaging with the mobile telecommunications device in response to a predetermined trigger, with the messaging including information corresponding to a financial incentive provided through a financial account associated with the incentive account upon an occurrence of a desired commercial transaction satisfying predetermined criteria, and correlating information related to the financial account, incentive account, and occurrence of the desired commercial transaction, for further determination and action in awarding or withholding the financial incentive in accordance with the predetermined financial incentive criteria. Also disclosed is a system that operates in accordance with the method.

1 . A method, implemented on an electronic communication network including a mobile telecommunications device, for providing financial incentives comprising:
 associating said mobile telecommunications device with an incentive account; and   messaging with said mobile telecommunications device in response to one or more predetermined triggers, with said messaging including information corresponding to a financial incentive provided through a financial account associated with said incentive account upon an occurrence of a desired commercial transaction satisfying predetermined criteria; and   correlating information related to said financial account, said incentive account, and occurrence of said desired commercial transaction to determine whether said predetermined financial incentive criteria are satisfied by said desired commercial transaction; and   processing said determination result for further action in awarding or withholding said financial incentive in accordance with said financial incentive criteria.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes transmission of a notice of said financial incentive to said mobile telecommunications device and receiving, in response to said notice, a message indicating desire for said financial incentive. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes additional communications related to said financial incentive, selectively comprising predetermined reminders, expiration notifications, or extensions of said financial incentives. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes defining said predetermined trigger as a passage of an interval of time. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes defining said predetermined trigger as the occurrence of a calendar date. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes defining said predetermined trigger as satisfaction of an initial commercial transaction at a POS terminal within a desired spatial location with respect to an additional POS terminal. 
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes defining said criteria to include completing said desired commercial transaction within a predefined geographical range and/or temporal interval from said predetermined trigger. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes defining said criteria to include completing said desired commercial transaction having a value satisfying a predefined threshold amount. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes defining said criteria to include completing said desired commercial transaction at a predefined commercial establishment. 
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes defining said criteria to include completing said desired commercial transaction a predefined number of times while satisfying the remaining predefined criteria. 
     
     
         11 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein awarding said financial incentive comprises the issuance of a credit or payment to one or more financial accounts associated with said incentive account. 
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 1  wherein messaging further includes communicating said messages employing one of set of messaging protocols selected from the set consisting essentially of short message service, multimedia message service, and WAP Push. 
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 1  further including providing said mobile telecommunications device selected from a set of devices consisting essentially of a cellular telephone, a wireless hand held device and a mobile computing system. 
     
     
         14 . A system for providing financial incentives over a communication network, said system comprising:
 a processor; and   stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by said processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of:   associating said mobile telecommunications device with an incentive account; and   
       messaging with said mobile telecommunications device in response to one or more predetermined triggers, with said messaging including information corresponding to a financial incentive provided through a financial account associated with said incentive account upon an occurrence of a desired commercial transaction satisfying predetermined criteria; and
 correlating information related to said financial account, said incentive account, and occurrence of said desired commercial transaction to determine whether said predetermined financial incentive criteria are satisfied by said desired commercial transaction; and 
 processing said determination result for further action in awarding or withholding said financial incentive in accordance with said financial incentive criteria. 
 
     
     
         15 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to transmit a notice of said financial incentive to said mobile telecommunications device and receive, in response to said notice, a message indicating a desire for said financial incentive. 
     
     
         16 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to selectively process further messaging related to said financial incentive, comprising predetermined reminders, expiration notifications, or extensions of said financial incentives. 
     
     
         17 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to define said predetermined trigger as a passage of an interval of time. 
     
     
         18 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to define said predetermined trigger as an occurrence of a calendar date. 
     
     
         19 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to define said predetermined trigger as satisfaction of an initial commercial at a POS terminal within a desired spatial location with respect to an additional POS terminal. 
     
     
         20 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to define said criteria to include completing said desired commercial transaction within a predefined geographical range and/or temporal interval from said predetermined trigger. 
     
     
         21 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to define said criteria to include completing said desired commercial transaction with a value satisfying a predefined threshold amount. 
     
     
         22 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to define said criteria to include completing said desired commercial transaction at a predefined commercial establishment. 
     
     
         23 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to define said criteria to include completing said desired commercial transaction a predefined number of times while satisfying the remaining predefined criteria. 
     
     
         24 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to award said financial incentive comprising the issuance of a credit or payment to one or more financial accounts associated with said incentive account. 
     
     
         25 . The system as recited in  claim 14  wherein said stored sequence of instructions further includes a subroutine to transmit said messages employing one of a set of messaging protocols selected from the set consisting essentially of short message service, multimedia message service, and WAP Push.